St. Landry democrat., 1887-02-12

one. Many similar instances might be
pointed out, did space permit. Most OF
the signboards now displayed by oul
inns and taverns bear strong evidence
OF their own degradation from the hi Oh
position they once occupied. Inasmuch
as they now usually bear the name OF
the house in written characters, they
show most clearly how entirely forgot
ten are the reasons which originally
led to the adoption of the use of signs.
| Only now and then do we see a pic
torial signboard of the real old-fash-
toned sort.
This decay in the use of inn-siens,
however, is no greater than the decline
in Importance of the inns themselves.
These have, within little more than the
last half-century, descended from a
position of great Importance and pros
perity to one of comparative degrada-
ton. Few persons of the present day
have an adequate idea of the extent to
which tavern-life Influenced thought
and manners fifty, one hundred, or two
hundred years ago. Then each man
had his tavern, much as we now
have our clubs and reading-rooms:
there he nightly met his friends, heard
the high-priced London newspapers
read aloud, and discussed the political
and business topics of the time Dick
ems, in Barnaby Ridge, has well
sketched the select village company
which for many years had met nightly
at the old Maypole to tipple and debate.
Ale was the universal beverage on these
occasions; and in days when there were
no colossal breweries at Burton, Rom
ford, or elsewhere, the fame of any
tavern was great or small according to
the skill of the landlord or his serv-
ants in producing this beverage. Inns,
too, formed the stopping-places of the
many coaches of a hundred years ago,
and at them were kept the numerous
horses then required for the traffic. In
the old coaching-days, indeed, many
small town or village on any main road
consisted largely or chiefly of inns;
and supplying the necessaries for the
passing traffic may be said to
have formed the '.local industry" by
which the inhabitants of such places
lived. Thus the inns of olden times
combined to a large extent within
themselves the various uses to which
modern clubs, reading-rooms, insti-
tutes, railway stations, eating-houses,
hotels, public-houses, livery stables,
and the like, are now seyerally put
Then they were the centers round
which most events of the time revolved;
now they are little more than tippling-
houses for the lower classes.
The various devices used as signs are
of infinite variety and varying degrees
of interest, from the heads, or por-
traits of modern political, naval or
celebrities, to such signs as the |
Rose and Crown, the Fleur-de-Lys, the |
Spread Eagle, the Cross Keys, our
Arms, Enthusiastically colored |
animals of all kinds, and many other
similar devices. Signs of the former
kind require little or no explanation;
they are usually modern and I'M
interesting vulgarisms, and their |
are self-apparent. With |
signs of the latter class, how
ever, the case is generally far diff
,erent, and search for their original
significance. often much obscured by
he mists of antiquity, is usually
IN interesting one. As a rule,
such signs will be found to
lave been derived from the armorial
bearings of some sovereign, noble or
'ther historical parsonage.
From the quaint and almost forgot
en- science of heraldry, indeed, has
,een derived large majority of our
Oldest and most interesting signs. This
act need cause no surprise when it is
emembered that in former days every
me was familiar with this so-called
science" The incomprehensible jar
,on, spoken of as "blazon'' by heraldic
writer's, and the various devices appear
ng on all modern coats of arms, though
title more nowadays than grotesque
ieroglyphics to most, were once read
nd perfectly understood even by the
ommon people. A knowledge
heraldry was once, prob
bly,, as general as knowledge
f the s!three Rs is now. Tt was
0 wonder, therefore, that the idea
arly suggested itself to the minds of
.adesmen and others to use their own
oats of arms-when they had any-or
nose of the great trade guild to which
aey belonged, or those of their land
'rd, or some patron, as signs. This
onvenient custom, once established.
-ould be sure to be largely followed; I
1ere can, indeed, be no question that